Not so many years ago there was only one holy grail of IRONMAN racing: the IRONMAN World Championship. Today, long-course athletes are lucky to have two genuine world championship events annually. The prestigious IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, which relocates annually around the globe, takes place this year in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. And who wouldn't want to qualify for that?

The rotating format provides excitement and a fresh challenge for athletes; the quest to qualify and participate becomes a major goal for many. For the lucky (and hard-working) few, qualification is simply about checking the box at an IRONMAN 70.3 event, as they tend to sit high on the podium in most races. For the majority of athletes, however, qualifying can be the prize after years of patient progress. But guess what? No matter how hard you work, and what your own performance development arc looks like, there are a few additional things that you can do to help increase your chances of securing a spot at the big show.

My tips and guidelines below are specific to the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in September, but could be applied to any world championship race you're gunning for.

Develop a "qualification mindset"

Below you'll find tactical approaches to setting yourself up for qualifying, but I think it's important to first establish a mindset of qualification. While qualifying can be a great goal and catalyst to get you out of bed for early morning swims, it can't be the central reason for doing triathlon. I love objective goals, but remember that the goal of qualification is ultimately dependent on your own performance (which you can control), but also the performance of your competitors (which you can't control). I encourage you to keep this goal in mind, but not to obsess over this particular piece of the puzzle.

Instead, obsess over self improvement and development. Aim to become the very best athlete you can be—over the long term and within the context of your life. This is something that is controllable and empowering, and that you can keep in mind over each race season, as well as year to year. If you take the long-term approach, without setting up a "pass-fail" scenario in every event you compete in, it's much more likely that your overall performance will rise. It's my experience that in this situation, results begin to take care of themselves.

Case Study: Tim Reed

Even at the very top end of sport this mindset is important. When Tim Reed won the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in 2016, do you know that he and I never spoke about trying to win the race? The focus was about personal development, or improving his performance level from prior years. How do we get better across the swim, bike, and run, and improve on racing tactics from prior seasons. By the time race day came, the mission was to maximize Tim’s performance and enjoy the occasion. I trusted Tim to make good decisions on the day, and knew that he was prepared for his best performance. I encouraged him to embrace the support of his home country (Australia) and the special occasion of the event. On the day, he focused on his own performance and allowed himself freedom to make decisions from his racing instinct, which is world-class. The result was the win. (Are you training without a coach? Click here and change that today!)

This mindset is going to be—I promise—one of the keys for you in training and race day performance. Patient progression, focusing on the process, and liberating yourself from being overly results- or outcome-driven will help keep the quest from becoming more like a monkey on your back.

Now that we have established the all-important performance mindset, let’s set our lens on some tactical considerations around race choice and race day fun.

Horses for courses

This saying from horse racing speaks to certain horses performing best over a particular terrain. Some horses race best on soft conditions, others on straighter courses with firm conditions. The same can be applied to triathletes. When choosing your events, talk with your coach to make sure you're considering races that suit your strengths and don’t overly expose your potential weaknesses, as in the below examples. (If you don't have a coach, find one here!)

Swim set up: If you are a poor swimmer, it's better to pick a race that doesn’t expose your weakness, such as typically choppy or rough swim conditions, and races which tend to be warm (non wetsuit) or in fresh water, which is less buoyant.

Terrain: If you live in Florida but choose to do a hilly race that will expose your lack of climbing ability and training opportunity, there's a chance your performance relative to your peers may be impacted.

Maximize your strengths: If you are a very strong cyclist but a weaker runner, heading to a dead flat race with the possibility of course congestion won’t help your cause. The fleet-feted runners will benefit from the groups of cyclists, and run away from you. I will never forget the complaints from my strong cyclists who headed to Cozumel hoping to break apart the riding groups, then becoming frustrated when the heat adapted fast runners flew by them. For them, it was the wrong race choice for qualification.

Climate considerations: No one likes racing in extreme temperatures, whether high heat or freezing cold, but the key is how you tend to perform relative to your peers. If you thrive in cold temperatures, seek races that tend to be prone to chilly temperatures. If you buckle in the heat, don’t make a July race in Texas your key qualifying focus race.

Race choice. Beyond the terrain and climate, there are a few other tactical considerations that can help your qualifying cause. Too many athletes simply choose local races, or races they enjoy, but which limit qualifying opportunities. IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside is a wonderful race, but also attracts some of the strongest athletes from the hubs of triathlon, such as California, Colorado, and Texas. It's also in the spring when most athletes are looking to secure their spots for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship. This only heightens the competition and makes gaining a spot that much tougher.

Pick a better race

As outlined above, the most popular races aren't always your best bet. You might want to think outside the box to increase your chances of qualifying. Here are a few concrete ways of thinking about this.

Venture geographically: Lesser-known races, or some international races often provide easier passage for qualification. Making the investment to head to some of the smaller races is often a great way to raise your chances. A prime example are the adventurous but costly journeys to China—likely an "easier" passage to a spot than the aforementioned IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside.

Newer races: Aligned with geography are those races that are new on the scene. This factor truly depends on immediate popularity, but there are often spots to be had in the early race cycle. A great time to snag a spot is just following the end of qualification for this year's actual IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, as well as very late-season races. Hitting key races in September to November can often heighten your chances, as many athletes either preparing for late season IRONMAN races, the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, or already on a season break.

Spread your odds: A simple but important consideration is the number of races you choose to do. I always urge athletes to create a full season of racing instead of simply banking on one race. Gunning for a single race places unnecessary "do-or-die" stress on the event itself. It's also unlikely it will be the best set up for your best performance. Fitness arrives with training, but toughness and resilience is only heightened with race fitness and experience. Use small, local events, followed by two to three IRONMAN 70.3 events to alleviate mental stress and improve the odds of a breakout performance.

If you take the long lens of personal development, choose your terrain and race schedule carefully, and make sure you don’t obsess with outcomes, you're doing all you can to earn the spot. There is one final, and critical, point to be made, however. At every race there are formal awards, following which the championship spots are given out. No matter what place you have ended up in your age group, if you are serious about making the world championship, it's worth heading to the awards and staying to the bitter end. While it may seem unlikely, I have seen many athletes punch their ticket just by being patient. Don’t let this simple approach bypass you—and if you do get lucky, be proud and joyous, as the championship event itself will still be a wonderful reward for your effort and a celebration of your sport.